I've had my Stingray for a while now, and I've been noticing gray marks on my fretboard. What exactly causes this, just standard wear? Is there any kind of polish or anything to take this out? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I just want my bass to look relatively clean as long as I can.
Yes, they do. If I can figure out how to post pics I could show what they look like. Also, the finish on the neck feels like it's kind of wearing off too... parts feel sticky when I'm playing. Is this normal too?
A number of manufacturers, including MusicMan I believe, are getting away from thick polyurethane finishes. A downside (to some folks) to thinner finishes is that they wear away more quickly. Maple, being a light-colored wood, turns grayish when exposed to dirt/oil/gunk. So, the worn spots become easily visible. Dirty maple doesn't bother me a bit. In fact I love the feel of vintage Fenders where the finish has worn away on the back of the neck, and the maple is dark gray from playing wear. Here's the neck on my Sadowsky... it's gotten more worn since these photos were taken. Sadowsky necks are finished in thin nitrocellulose lacquer rather than thick poly. I prefer the feel of nitro to poly. But seeing as how the neck is becoming so worn, I'm probably going to remove the nitro from the back of the neck and give it a "natural oil finish". {} {} P.S. I believe the wear is from my wedding ring: I often use the "monkey grip": thumb wrapped over the top of the neck. I keep my thumb on the back of the neck (proper technique) for difficult riffs, but for easy groove riffing it feels better to wrap around (note that Darryl Jones of the Stones does the same...)
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